Results are in from the 2008 CareforKids.com.au Annual Childcare and Workforce Participation Survery and it is definitely worth a read. This is the third survey completed and it encourages parents to provide insight into their specific child care arrangements and have their say about our child care system and whether it is working for them. The 2008 survey was completed by 1506 parents with pre-school age children, 75 per cent of whom currently have their children in some form of child care, 25 per cent are currently looking
Click here to read a summary of the results
Roxanne Elliott, founder of CareforKids.com.au® said that the survey results show that parents are still very unhappy with the escalating cost of child care and despite child care vacancies, parents often still can’t find the right type or days they need.
Some key points
- Cost is king of child care gripes with 42 per cent of parents paying over $200 per week and 30 per cent believing the cost of child care outweighs their net income.
- Money still main motivation for return to work – 77 per cent said they went back to work out of financial necessity, followed by career progression and independence.
- Motherguilt still causing return to work angst for around two thirds of women (63 per cent).
- The maternity leave debate: Seventy-five per cent think both the government and employer should jointly foot the bill to the tune of 50 per cent salary for six months. Twenty-two per cent think government should have sole responsibility.
- 43 per cent believe 50 per cent salary for maternity pay is fair and sustainable; 35 per cent think paid maternity should be 6 months; 16 per cent think 9 months and 40 per cent think 12 months
When reading studies like this it encourages me even more in my beliefs about Work at Home Mums. I think that all families should be supported in doing what is right for them. If women wish to return to work for career progression or independence then they should be supported to do so and affordable quality childcare should be available. However I get very angry when you see that many women are returning to work simply because of financial necessity. I am not saying that it will work for all professions and roles but I think that more and more business, families and communities can benefit from looking more broadly at work and flexibility.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash